Clock striking mechanism



(Model) 2 SheetsShee1; 1.

D. J. GALE,

CLOCK STRIKING MECHANISM.

No. 402,917. a Patented May '7, 1889.

2 SheetsSheet 2.

11. J. GALE.

CLOCK STRIKING MECHANISM.

No. 402,917 Patented May 7, 1889.

Nv FETERS, Phnin-Ldhogmphun W-xslumglcn, D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL J. GALE, OF FORESTVIIJIIE, CONNECTICUT.

CLOCK STRIKING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 402,917, dated May 7, 1889.

Application filed tieptembcr 10, 1888. Serial No. 235,051. (Model) To all "whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DANIEL J. GALE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Forestville, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improve nents ii Striking- Irains for Clocks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will. enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to st riki n g-trains for clocks.

The object is to produce a striking-train which shall be of such construction that the mechanism will be started into operation and stopped by means of a single lock-plate; furthermore, to produce a striking-train which will admit of the hands being turned either backward or forward, as may be desired, without danger of injury to the train; furthermore, to produce a striking-train which shall be simple of construction, efficient and durable in use, and which may be constructed at a slight expense.

With these objects in view the invention consists in the improved construction and combination of parts of a striking-train, as will be hereinafter fully described in the specification, illustrated in the drawings, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which like letters and figures of reference indicate correspondin g parts, I have illustrated one form of device embodying the essential features of my invention, although the same may be carried into effect in other ways without in the least departing from the spirit thereof, and in these drawings- Figure 1 is a front view of the device intact. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a top plan view. Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view on a line, a: of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail longitudinal sectional view. Fig. 6 is a detail view showing the peculiar construction of a lock-plate, and Fig. 7 is a detail view of the minute-arbor.

Referring to the drawings, A A designate the front and back plates, in which. are formed the bearin for the worksoperatin g the striking-train.

l3 designates the main wheel, on the shaft 1 of which is mounted a mainspring, 2. On this shaft and mounted upon a hub, 3, are two wheels, & and 5, the said hub being loosely mounted upon the shaft, so that the wheels may revolve independentl y of the same. The inner wheel, t, or that next the main wheel, is an ordinary gearwhecl, which meshes with a spur-pinion, o, mounted upon a shaft, 7 which also carries a lantern-gear, S, for engaging the teeth of the main wheel, and a gear-wheel, 9, for engaging the lantern-gear on the shaft 17, carrying the arms 34, for stopping and starting the train, all of which will be described farther on.

The wheel 5 is provided on its periphery with a number of lugs, 10, which extend beyond the same and are situated at a sufficient distance apart to cause the bell, when the mechanism is operated, to strike the hours, the distance between the lugs being equivalent to the number of hours to be struck that is, the space between eleven and twelve being twelve times the length of that between twelve and one. It will be observed that these lugs are straight, or approximately so, on the top, and that one of the sides is slanting and the other straight or radial. These lugs are of such width that when arm l-Li: of the lock-plate C is thrown up by coming in contact with the slanting side of the lugs 10 the trainis stopped, and after a half hour has elapsed and the lockplate is again raised to release the striking mechanism it will only strike one and be locked again before it can drop off from the straight side, thus enabling the clock to strike both the hours and half hours.

The lock-plate 0 forms one of the essential features of my invention, and I will proceed to describe it minutely. This plate is formed with a base or body portion, 11, designed to be secured to the plate A by means of a screw, 12, and so adjusted that it may fall by its own weight. From the body portion extend two arms, 13 and 14, the arm 13 being bent over at the top, as shown, to form a finger, 15, and the arm 1; being bent to form a finger, 1G,the object for which these are designed being fully described farther on.

Upon the shaft 1'7 is mounted a gear-wheel, 18, in the spokes of which are secured two pins, 19 and 20, for engaging the hammer-wire 21,securcd to a shaft, 22, mounted in suitable bearings bet ween the plates. The gear-wheel 18 meshes with a lanterngear, 23, secured to a wheel, 24, 011 a shaft,25, the said gear-wheel gearing with a lantern-wheel, 26,upon a shaft carrying the fly 27. The opposite end of the shaft 25 is provided with a pin, 28, adapted to engage the finger 15 of the lock-plate, so as to prevent the train striking when it is first released.

D designates the minute-arbor, the inner end of which is provided with screw-threads 29, and on this screw-threaded portion is loosely mounted a collar, 30, provided with two arms, 31, designed to engage the fingers 16 of the lock-plate, as shown in Fig. 5.

To the plate A and over the arbor 23 is secured a pin or arm, 32, designed to engage the arms 31 of the collar 30. The object of this collar is to allow the hands to be set back as far as may be desired without interfering with the striking mechanism, which could not be done with clocks of ordinary construction. WVhen the clock has been set back and starts to go forward again, the pin 32 will catch against the arms 31 and cause the collar to move up upon the threaded portion of the arbor until it comes in contact with the finger 16, when it will then tilt, as usual, and release the striking mechanism; but during the interval which elapscs from the time the collar starts to return until it comes in contact with the finger 16 the clock will not strike, so that when it again strikes it will be at the proper hour.

The train is started in the following manner: As the hands revolve, the threaded arbor revolves with them, and carries the collar 30 around until one of the arms 31 engages the finger16, which raises it, and with it the lock- 'plate, and throws the catch 33 out of contact with the arms 34 on the shaft 17. The strikin g mechanism then starts, but is checked by means of the pin 28 coming in contact with the finger 15, as is usual with striking clocks, so that a period of about three minutes elapses before the clock strikes. By that time the mechanism has moved far enough to release the arm from the pin. The lock-plate then drops and the.clock will strike until one of the lugs comes in contact with the said plate and raises it a sufficient distance to bring the catch 33 in contact with one of the arms 34, and thus stopping the mechanism. As there are two of the arms 31, it will be seen readily that one of them will engage the finger 16 of the lock-plate every thirty minutes, thereby allowing the clock to strike the half hours as well as the hours.

It will thus be seen that by this peculiar construction of a striking-train the clock may be set back Without any danger of interfering with the mechanism, and that by means of the peculiar construction of the lock-plate one piece of mechanism performs the function of releasing and stopping the strikingtrain.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Inastriking-train, the combination of a count-wheel, a locking-plate operated thereby to release the train to strike the hours, a collar on the minute-arbor engaging the lockingplate to release the train to strike the halfhours, and a pin 011 the frame to keep the collar in contact with the said locking-plate, substantially as described.

2. In a striking-train, the combination of the minute-arbor threaded for a portion of its length, an armed collar engaging the said threaded portion, 'a locking-plate having a finger engaging the said arms to cause the-collar to be drawn out of contact with the said locking-plate when the hands are turned in the direction opposite their rotation, and a pin on the frame engaging the said arms to cause the collar to resume its normal position when the hands move in their proper direction, substantially as described.

3. In a striking-train, the combination, with the minute-arbor, of an armed collar moving thereon, a locking-plate having a finger engaging the arms to throw the said collar out of contact with the locking-plate, and a pin on the frame for throwing the collar in contact with the locking-plate, substantially as described. 1 r

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereunto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' DANIEL J. GALE.

Vtitnesses:

HERBERT A. GALE, HOWARD ARMS.

ICO 

